


Jaeger Knows Best

by fadedink



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Yancy Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-24 06:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/936570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedink/pseuds/fadedink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Striker Eureka has a crush on Gipsy Danger, but don't mention it to Chuck Hansen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jaeger Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

> This one's for [azewewish](http://azewewish.livejournal.com) and [antheia](http://antheia.livejournal.com), because they encouraged this shit on Twitter, and um, I'm pretty easy like that. It didn't turn out nearly as crack!fic as I thought, but there are judgmental Jaegers, sassy!Raleigh, alive!Yancy, and Chuck being a 17 year old boy. Did I mention it's canon AU?

1.

When Chuck hears the news, he just stares at his dad, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Did you just –"

"I did," Herc says as he leans against Striker Eureka's foot. He looks far too amused. "They'll be here next week."

Next week. The Becket brothers are coming to Sydney on their next rotation. Chuck mentally freaks out, but hopes he hides it before he shrugs. "Hope that old rust bucket they have can keep up with Striker."

"Oh, I reckon they'll do alright," Herc says, and he's wearing an odd smile as he reaches back to pat Striker's frame.

Chuck wants to ask what the smile's all about, wants to ask what his dad thinks he knows that Chuck doesn't, but he keeps it to himself. Sometimes, he's convinced his dad just likes to rile him up, and Chuck's having none of it. Not today.

Raleigh and Yancy Becket are coming to Sydney. Holy hell.

 

2.

Chuck won't admit to it out loud, but he hangs out (okay, he totally lurks) on one of the catwalks overlooking Scramble Alley as Gipsy Danger is brought into the Shatterdome. And yeah, he'd totally called her a rust bucket, but even he has to admit she looks good.

Not that he'll admit that, either.

He leans over the railing for a better view, hands curled tight around the metal, and a childlike delight (nope, definitely not admitting _that_ , no way) fills him when he catches a glimpse of two bright blond heads passing beneath his perch.

A faint creak of metal – a ghost of a sound, nothing more – reaches his ears, and Chuck looks up, then frowns.

It looks like Striker Eureka is standing taller, head lifted, posing. Chuck squints at him.

"What're you doing?" he whispers, knowing it's silly to be talking to the Jaeger. Who couldn't have possibly moved, not even an inch, because he's powered down and there isn't anyone in the Conn-Pod.

But Striker _looks_ like he's moved.

"Stupid," Chuck mutters, returning his attention to the scene below. But he swears he can almost hear Striker in his head, saying there's nothing wrong with making a good impression on new team mates.

 

3.

Raleigh bounces on the balls of his feet as he looks around. He can sense Yancy's amusement but ignores it. They're in Sydney, and he's finally getting his first look at Striker Eureka.

And the Jaeger is everything he'd imagined, sleek and sharp and arrogant and sexy as hell. Not that Raleigh's going to let that thought pass his lips, because he already knows what Yancy will say. And his brother definitely doesn't need that sort of ammunition.

"You're embarrassing," Yancy says, but he's smiling, so Raleigh shrugs it off.

He's not going to let Yancy get a rise out of him. Not today.

Not when they're here and ready to go out and kick kaiju ass with the fastest Jaeger in the world.

And Raleigh has no doubt that Striker will live up to everything they've heard about him. Him and his pilots, especially the hot shot kid that's supposed to be even better than Yancy. And maybe there's a twinge of guilt over that thought, because it's _Yancy_ , and Raleigh's a lot of things, but he's loyal to his brother, but hey, stats talk.

 _Soon_ , he thinks, looking up at Gipsy Danger, standing so tall and proud on her platform, and he swears she's amused at something. Probably him. Not like _she_ needs the ammunition, either.

Raleigh just sends her a mental raspberry and keeps walking.

 

4.

"Looking good, Beckets, Hansens, alignments are holding firm and strong. You guys are in the green across the board. Pay attention, because that kaiju's coming up fast, and it's the first Cat 4 we've had come through, so don't expect this to be easy."

"Roger that, LOCCENT," Yancy says, casting a glance Raleigh's way. When have _any_ of the kaiju been easy? Raleigh rolls his eyes in response.

"This is your back yard, Colonel Hansen," Raleigh says, "we're just following your lead in this dance."

"And if I thought you _needed_ to be led," Herc growls over the comm line, "I'd take you on up that."

"Is he serious?" Chuck asks, only to be hushed by Herc.

"About the dancing or the leading, Chuckie?" Raleigh asks, grinning even harder at the sputtering over the comm.

"Did he just –"

"Do you know _how_ to dance, Chuckie?" Raleigh continues as he ignores Yancy's voice in his head telling him to behave.

"Just wait 'til we get back to the Dome, Becket," Chuck says, and Yancy wonders if he ever sounded that indignant at seventeen.

 _Why_ , Yancy thinks as they hear Herc telling Chuck that he ought to know better than to let Raleigh get to him.

Yancy and Raleigh share another look that has Raleigh clearly fighting back laughter, and Yancy already knows where this is going, because Chuck is young and cocky and _pretty_ , so he's right up Raleigh's alley. And if Raleigh's merciless teasing is any indication, it's going to be funny as hell to watch it happen.

"Watch your head, kid," Yancy says when they've muted the comm line (because yeah, Herc Hansen doesn't need to hear any of this), "and for God's sake, don't dump your perverted fantasies into my brain this time."

"That wasn't my fault," Raleigh protests, and then there's no more time for teasing and smack talk, because the kaiju is right there.

The fight is brutal and not as short as any of them would like. And there's one point where Striker deliberately steps between the kaiju and Gipsy, delivering a roundhouse punch with those 'brass' knuckles that have been grafted onto his fists.

Yancy wants some of those, but he keeps his mouth shut. He doesn't want to hurt Gipsy's feelings.

And besides, it's funny as hell to listen to the Hansens on the comm line, arguing about who initiated _that_ move, because it had been bone-headed and unnecessary, but neither one of them is willing to admit to it.

 

5.

They're doing maneuvers at midnight. In the rain. Because you never know when the kaiju will decide it's a good time to pop out of the Breach. But at least it's not snowing, Herc tells himself.

He and Chuck are in perfect sync, Striker responding almost before they start to move, Gipsy Danger shadowing him as the Beckets fill the comm line with inane chatter. Herc would tell them to shut up, but he can _feel_ Chuck's amusement through the drift, and he can hear smothered laughter.

For that, Herc decides he owes the Beckets a drink or two.

"What the hell," Chuck says, and Herc feels the interface alignment shift for a fraction of a second before they get it back together.

"What's that?"

"Dunno," Chuck said, flipping switches on the console over his head. "He didn't want to turn around."

"Sure you didn't get tangled up there?" Herc asks, receiving a dirty look as the comm line goes silent before one of the Beckets (has to be Raleigh, because the kid seems to delight in getting under Chuck's skin) bursts out laughing.

"Piss off," Chuck growls. "It wasn't me. It was Striker. Like...like..."

"Aww, what's the matter," Raleigh says, and Herc finds himself rolling his eyes. "Is poor Striker all bashful in front of our girl?"

"Striker isn't bashful, you asshat!" Chuck yelps, and yeah, that totally escalated a lot faster than Herc had thought, but they're not _really_ insulting each other yet, so he lets it slide. "Striker's the best damn Jaeger ever made, and there's no way he'd be bashful or whatever in front of that old rust bucket you're riding."

Herc feels the hum of disapproval through the neural handshake, and Striker just stops. Nothing they do can make him move, and Herc can feel the sweat popping out all over his body from the effort. He gives Chuck a look and sees Chuck hunch his shoulders.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Striker, I didn't mean it, now come on," Chuck pleads, too obviously _not_ looking at Herc. "Please, you're making us look bad!"

Finally, Striker moves, and Herc bites his tongue. He knows a childish sulk when he's facing one (from Chuck _and_ from Striker).

 

6.

Chuck is busy adding the latest kill count emblem to his and Herc's jackets, so he doesn't look up when the approaching footsteps stop beside him.

"You know he's just showing off, right?"

Raleigh's voice draws Chuck's attention. "What?"

"Striker," Raleigh says, nodding towards the Jaeger at Chuck's back. The Jaeger who is currently standing at attention and not quite fully facing Gipsy Danger. "That kill count and all. Totally showing off for her."

"What?" Chuck stares at Raleigh, then at Gipsy. Who looks amused. Which isn't possible, so Chuck glares at her for a second. "He is not."

"Yeah, he totally is," Raleigh says with a nod. There's a smile lurking at the edges of his mouth. "Showing off, being all bashful around her...dude, your boy's totally got a crush on my girl."

"He does _not_ ," Chuck sputters, surging to his feet so he's nose to nose with Raleigh.

"It's okay, kiddo," Raleigh says, turning to walk away. "Not like I'm saying _you_ have a crush on _me_."

"He does not," Chuck yells, his voice echoing through the bays, drawing looks.

"Keep telling yourself that," Raleigh calls back, practically swaggering now.

"Fuck you, Becket," Chuck yells, not caring who's looking. It's not his best closing line, but it's all he has. And Striker just looks resigned when Chuck glances up at him.

 

7.

"You know what they're doing, right?"

"Yep."

"Think we should stop it?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, me, neither," Yancy says, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the bench beside Herc as they watch Raleigh and Chuck squabbling again. "This is like the equivalent of pig-tail pulling."

"Yep."

The squabbling gets louder, like it always does when Chuck and Raleigh are face to face. The whole Shatterdome is aware of it and it no longer warrants even a few glances. It's just business as usual.

And it's the same argument, with Raleigh claiming that Striker has a crush on Gipsy because she's an older woman and that Striker's totally trying to talk Gipsy into 'doing it' through the neural handshake while their pilots are sleeping, and Chuck just losing his shit and being all, that's disgusting, I don't know where you get these bloody ideas, Becket, but no, just no, and Gipsy just better stay away from Striker, because you Beckets are a bad influence.

It's amusing because it's true. Well, it's true for Raleigh because he _is_ a bad influence, but that's not the point.

"Think they'll come to blows this time?"

Herc shrugs. "Anything's possible. But my money's on no, especially if either one of 'em actually pays attention to the Jaegers."

Good point. Yancy looks to the Jaegers in question, and he can just _feel_ the disapproval and amusement radiating from both of them. If they had eyes, they'd be rolling them so hard. As it is, Yancy is hard pressed not to roll his.

The yelling has quieted down, but they're still involved in a heated discussion. It's obvious from the way Chuck is glaring daggers and Raleigh's hands are flailing through the air as he tries to make a point.

"Because she's old!"

And they're back to _that_ argument. But Yancy can see Raleigh's face, and he knows – he _knows_ – that Raleigh is going to take a different route this time. Chuck doesn't see it coming.

"Yeah, well _some_ people like their partners to be older," Raleigh fires back, one finger poking the center of Chuck's chest, and yep, that's a new one.

The entire Dome can see the exact second that Chuck realizes what Raleigh is saying.

" _What_? Oh, my God, are you... You are!" Chuck's mouth works, and he looks so much like a fish on a hook for a few seconds that Yancy has to look away or laugh. "That's just...just...God, _Rah_ leigh, you're out of your bloody mind if you think –"

"You know what they say, _Chuckles_ ," Raleigh says, and Yancy can see Herc cover his face with one hand from the corner of his eye, "Jaegers imitate their pilots. And since I doubt it's coming from your dad..."

"Shut up, just shut up, I hate you," Chuck yelps, sounding more like a twelve year old girl than a seventeen year old young man, but Yancy knows he won't appreciate the comparison. "Just...just...shut up! And don't call me that!"

"That was new," Yancy says as they watch Chuck stalk from the Shatterdome.

"Yep," is all Herc says.

"Man, your son's touchy as hell," Raleigh says as he strolls up, but Yancy can see the twinkle in his eyes.

"Mmm," Herc replies, but it sounds more like a grunt. Maybe agreement, maybe not, maybe something else entirely, but Yancy doesn't plan on asking.

Instead, he stretches his arms along the back of the bench, tilts his head, and studies his little brother. "When are you going to stop pulling his hair and ask him out?"

It's Raleigh's turn to yelp, and Yancy only regrets that Chuck isn't still in the Dome to hear it. " _What_? Are you...why would you...seriously, what?"

"Ask him out," Yancy repeats. "I mean, while watching the two of you do this little dance you've got going on is amusing as hell, it's pretty clear you either want to fight him or fuck him – no offense, Herc."

"None taken."

"I...you..." Raleigh narrows his eyes. "Have you hit your head today?"

Yancy just smiles and holds it long enough that Raleigh fidgets. _Gotcha_. "You do know the entire Dome has a betting pool on when it'll happen, right?"

" _What_ "

There's that yelp again, and it's a good octave higher this time, and Yancy hears a muffled snort of laughter from Herc. "Betting pool. You and Chuck. Hell," Yancy shrugs, "I've got fifty credits says you'll man up by the end of the month. Tendo's got the same amount saying one of you will end up in the infirmary with broken bones by then."

"Fifty?" Herc shakes his head when they both look at him. "Hundred says your brother kisses my son by the end of the _week_."

Yancy considers that, ignoring Raleigh's sputtered protests (because he _knows_ his brother). "In public?" Yancy considers it again when Herc nods and wonders if he can influence it somehow. "You're on."

"You're both out of your minds," Raleigh says, spinning on one heel to stalk away, spine a stiff line of wounded dignity. "Out of your _minds_!"

"Isn't that the same way Chuck went?" Yancy asks.

"Yep," is all Herc says. Yancy grins. Maybe they can split the winnings.


End file.
